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Aeschines
Aeschines, (born 390 ac—died c. 314 Bc), Athenian orator who advocated peace with Philip Il
of Macedonia and who was a bitter political opponent of the statesman Demosthenes.
Aeschines was brought up in humble circumstances, and
in the early part of his career he worked as a tragic actor
and held minor posts in the state service. In 346 Bc he, like
Demosthenes, was a member of the embassies to Philip Il
that resulted in the peace of Philocrates between Athens
and Macedonia. During the negotiations Aeschines had
sought to reconcile the Athenians to Macedonia’s
expansion into Greece, and consequently, after the peace
had been concluded, Demosthenes and Timarchus
prepared to prosecute him for treason. In retaliation
Aeschines successfully indicted Timarchus for gross
immorality, and at his own trial in 343 he was acquitted by
a narrow majority.
seschinen In 339, by provoking the council of the Amphictyonic
League to declare a sacred war against the town of
Aeschines, statue from the late 4th century
Amphissa, in Locris, Aeschines gave Philip a pretext on
BCE which to enter central Greece as the champion of the
sin the National Museum, Naples.
‘lina Art Resource, New York Amphictyonic forces. The eventual result was the
establishment of Macedonian hegemony over central
Greece (including Athens) after the Battle of Chaeronea (338). The bitter hostility between
Aeschines and Demosthenes worsened in the years that followed. In 336 Aeschines brought
suit against a certain Ctesiphon for illegally proposing the award of a crown to Demosthenes
in recognition of his services to Athens. The case, tried in 330, concluded with the
overwhelming defeat of Aeschines, largely, no doubt, because of Demosthenes’ brilliant
speech for Ctesiphon ("On the Crown"). Aeschines left Athens for Rhodes, where he is said to
have taught rhetoric.
Three of his speeches are extant: (1) in accusation of Timarchus; (2) in defense of his own
conduct on the embassies to Philip; and (3) in accusation of Ctesiphon. These appear to have
been the only speeches he wrote, as opposed to those he delivered extempore. They show a
tendency to forthright and forceful expression, free use of rhetorical figures, variety of
sentence construction, fondness for poetical quotations, and ready wit.
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This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen, Corrections Manager.
CITATION INFORMATION
ARTICLE TITLE: Aeschines
WEBSITE NAME: Encyclopaedia Britannica
PUBLISHER: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
DATE PUBLISHED: 12 June 2013
URL: https://wwwritannica.com/biography/Aeschines
ACCESS DATE: March 25, 2019
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